· Young birds are more likely to learn to talk

· It is better if only one person teaches the budgie to talk as he may get confused if he hears more than one voice or accent

· Give your budgie at least one twenty-minute training session each day, mornings are a good time as the bird will be alert

· Start with a simple HELLO followed by his name, repeat this as often as possible until your bird has mastered this phrase then try to teach him another phrase and so on

· Many budgies have the ability to use context when they speak, you can teach them this by talking to them and telling them what you or other people are doing. When talking to them use names whenever you can, i.e. Kate is typing on the computer or Julia is going to sleep now

· Encourage your bird when it talks, listen very carefully when its speaks and let it know when you understand it. Even if you do not understand, tell it that it is talking nice and talk to other members of the family about what it is saying

· It's a good idea to teach your bird its address and telephone number, if he ever gets out he will be able to tell people where he belongs